We know the feeling. Your first pair of football boots gets delivered to your door. You open up the box and stick them on, but the laces aren't fully tied up and you're unsure on how they're supposed to look.
Tying them up can be a pain, and the way the manufacturers have laced them don't provide the adequate support you want from your football boots.
Well, no bother, because FourFourTwo has compiled a handy guide to walk through how to tie up your football boots and how to lace them just like a professional.
If you don't yet have a pair of football boots, or fancy ordering yourself some new ones, be sure to check out our guide to the best football boots of 2022.
Looking for something more specific? We've got separate reviews for the best football boots from Nike, Adidas, Puma and Umbro, as well as a list of the best cheap boots and best boots for goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, wingers and strikers.
How to lace a football boot
When it comes to lacing your boots, there are multiple different techniques you can use to get the most out of them - it all just depends on personal preference. Provided your boots aren't part of the new breed of laceless variations, each of these lacing styles should work perfectly.
The traditional method involves threading the shoelace through the bottom two eyelets of the football boot, making sure to start them travelling from outside to in. It's crucial at this stage to ensure both ends of the lace are the same length, in order to create an even knot once the boots are fully tied up.
From there, crossover each lace into the opposite eyelets. For example, if one end of the lace is on the left-hand side of the boot, thread it underneath the next available eyelet on the right-hand side of the boot. Continue this process, working up the boot towards the final eyelet - if there is a lace loop of the tongue midway up, ensure the lace goes through it in order to stop the tongue moving around in a game.
There are different available options, though.
The top lock loop lacing technique - or runners loop - is similar to that of the traditional method, but, once you reach the penultimate eyelet, run the laces through the eyelets directly above each side, rather than crisscrossing them. This will form a loop between the top two eyelets that you can pull the lace back through, thus locking your heel in with more stability.
Similarly, the forward-foot lock lacing technique involves the same style, but instead of performing the loop in the final two lace holes, create the loop earlier on in the shoe. This will bias locking in the forefoot instead of the heel.
Any of these methods will work, but it just depends on what each individual wants from their football boots and the feeling it gives them.
For players with longer laces, or for those who simply want their foot locked in further, tie the laces underneath the middle of the boot (between the heel and forefoot studs). Tie the laces back up on the middle of the forefoot.
How to tie a football boot
Right, you've sorted out which lacing technique best serves your needs, but tying them up now presents an issue. How tight should you tie them? Do you need extra slack on the lace just in case?
Well, again, this is down to personal preference.
Ideally you don't have the football boots feeling like they're strangling your feet because you've tied your laces up as tightly as possible. Conversely, you don't want your foot sliding all over the place because there's simply not enough tension in the laces.
If they're too tight, release tension by undoing the laces and starting again. Try not to pull too hard on the laces, making sure the boot feels snug but not uncomfortable.
However, if they're tied too loosely then it is more likely you will roll your ankle due to excessive movement in the boot. Therefore, always ensure they're tied up correctly and to the desired pressure.
A standard shoelace knot involves making a loop with one end of the lace, wrapping the other end around and pulling a loop through the “hole” in the middle. If you want further confidence in the laces staying in tact, pull the loops through one another for a second time to make the knot further secure.
For a quicker version of the standard knot, tie your laces by making a loop with both ends and simultaneously pulling them through each other to form an almost instant knot.
